Pregnancy Essentials – What Is Worth Buying?

A more practical post on pregnancy – what were the things that made my life easier during those (almost) 9 months.

Short intro, as most of the times I skip them when reading such posts – the weather most of the pregnancy was rubbish, so no flowy dresses and skirts are going to be mentioned here. Few details regarding clothes – I actually started looking pregnant in the beginning of my 7th month, before that from 4th to 6th most people didn’t believe me when I told them. I could wear my normal tight fitting or stretchy jeans and dresses until month 6, when I bought pregnancy jeans. My looser tops and sweaters I could wear throughout the whole pregnancy, so I had no need of buying new ones apart from the ones I will mention below. Enjoy reading!

36 weeks pregnant, wearing Seraphine Maternity Jeans

Pregnancy Jeans– The best invention in history! There are under and over the bump options, I chose the over the bump ones, as they looked more comfortable and I read that they’re the ones to get after you’ve reached 6 months. As I’m quite tall (185cm or 6ft1) purchasing trousers and jeans has always been a challenge, so I was a bit worried whether I’m going to find a good and comfortable pair. First I went to H&M and tried their maternity range – needless to say, they were hideous for tall people, the hem was around 20cm above my ankle. So I looked online. ASOS had some options, but everything in my size (between 10 and 12 UK) seemed to be out of stock, so I came across Seraphine Maternity and noticed that one of their models has been worn by The Duchess Of Cambridge Kate. Knowing she’s quite tall and seeing how long the jeans appeared on her, I ordered them and was not disappointed. Absolutely perfect fit, coming right down to my ankle. I got size 12 and up until month 7 they were a bit loose around my hips and pelvis, but then they were perfect. I fully intended to try and wear them again after I gave birth, but being under pandemic lockdown, it’s now been a month and I haven’t worn any jeans, so they might be a bit too big to fit me. Otherwise the quality is amazing, lovely material, holds well the shape when washed numerous times and that pair was the only one I had to buy during the whole pregnancy.

28 weeks pregnant, wearing Seraphine Maternity Jeans

Maternity Jacket – speaking of Seraphine Maternity, my lovely maternity parka coat I also got from there after a lot of researching. I stopped being able to fit comfortably in my normal coats around month 6 as well, so that is when I ordered this one. It’s pricier that some other ones on the market, but with its design you can wear it after pregnancy too (adjustable waist) and it also comes with a panel for babywearing. Furthermore I’d read that it fits tall people quite well, so I was less worried about the length of the sleeves when ordering online. I got size 12 again and the fit was perfect. I’m still wearing it now, although it’s getting a bit too warm for its very fluffy and comfy lining.

Skincare to prevent stretch marks – I got quite lucky when it comes to stretch marks and didn’t actually get a single one during the pregnancy. I started using the Palmer’s products (Tummy Butter and Massage Lotion) pretty much from the moment I found out I’m pregnant. There’s nothing on Earth that could make me use a lotion 2-3 times a day as it says on the instructions, but I was applying the massage lotion every evening before bed and the tummy butter perhaps 2-3 times a week until I was 8 months pregnant and my skin was VERY stretched. After that I started using Bio Oil in the evening and occasionally the massage lotion during the day whenever I felt my skin a bit dry.

Nasal Spray suitable for pregnant women – Pregnancy rhinitis is real and even if it doesn’t affect everyone, I think it’s better to be prepared. Long story short – due to the extra amount of blood your mucus membranes can get swollen, which makes it VERY hard to breathe. Especially overnight. If you ask in most pharmacies, they’ll tell you to just get saline spray. It. Does. Not. Work. Saline spray flushes and in pregnancy rhinitis there’s nothing to flush, just everything is swollen, which obstructs your airways. I found that saline sprays WITH menthol and/or eucalyptus work best, as you can’t really use any of the popular decongestants. Yet again, I’d advise you to speak to your doctor or midwife before using anything (hence why I’m not linking any product (so if you’d like to know which one I got, just send me a message here or on Instagram), but keep in mind that the answer “just saline” is most likely not going to solve your problems.

Apart from those things all I bought during the pregnancy were two dresses from Seraphine, two pairs of maternity leggings from Lidl, three tank tops to wear under my usual sweaters, so they can cover my bump and a pregnancy pillow, which is useful, but certainly not something you cannot live without. All those purchases are certainly not essential and if you’re on a budget, you could definitely get away with just wearing stretchy or knitted dresses and a pair of jeans. One last thing you can possibly find useful if you have very achy joints, especially your hips – some very good arch support insoles. Mine helped me a lot during my 10 hours long shifts at work!

Let me know what your purchases during your pregnancies were and also what other posts you’d like to see here.

Mells x

P.S. Everything has been purchased by me and this post is not sponsored. Because nobody knew I was pregnant. Duh.